Cleveland Indians: They pulled off one of the best offseason signings when they lured manager Terry Francona, and adding patient Nick Swisher and speedy Michael Bourn to the lineup were good moves, too. The core of this roster actually was in first place in the AL Central as late as mid-June last season. Don't expect another major second-half swoon.

Kansas City Royals. It’s very possible that trading uberprospect Wil Myers was a big-picture mistake, but the addition of ace-like workhorse James Shields and versatile righthander Wade Davis makes the Royals better in 2013. Carpe diem, K.C.

Pittsburgh Pirates. No, really, this is the year Pittsburgh finally sticks above .500. The pieces are in place, with a year more experience.

Toronto Blue Jays. The Miami Marlins’ underhanded salary dump makes Toronto a legitimate AL East threat. If healthy, the trio of Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and Josh Johnson, as well as the addition of R.A. Dickey, addresses most of the Blue Jays’ biggest weaknesses of 2012.

San Diego Padres. Written off after an anemic start, San Diego played solid baseball over the final three months—it was nine games over .500 after the All-Star break—and returns just about every key player.